The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-05-19
WILD LIFE ON THE BORDER.
'hreo Mexicans Who Tried to Rob n SHERIFF
and What Happened,


black eyes that stared you unflinchingly
IN the face, lounged carelessly around
the Continental Hotel last night.
Lit was James Hart, who was at one
tune sheriff of little town in the south
western part of Texas.
Ihe town at the time of Hart's election
was fairly overrun by lawless people.
" reckon seen some putty excitin'
times on the frontier, " he said to O North
American reporter.
"People out my way use ter say l
could tite. Well, mebbe L kin and
mebbe can't.
VI remember onct-that was just after
l was elected-that it became known [
had some dust hid in my bedroom.
"One night when wo war asleep three
derned greasers KEN in and tried to
"Did they get away with it?" asked
the reporter.
- stranger, said the ex-sheriff delib-
erately, "considerin' that there air three
graves jes on the other side of nv house
with the bodies of three greasers in 'em,
1t It is putty safe to say they didn't git the
"Thar KEN to our town one day." con-
tinued the ex-sheriff, ga young feller
from the east. His name whar Bob
Chambers, en- he whar as bright and as
hansome youngster as I ever laid eyes
on: All the gals in town and on the
nelghborlng ranches got dead stuck on
him.
cat thet time Tom Parker kept the
'Quickstep Concert Saloon
ellis daughter Nellie sang on the
stage, and burned purity gurl She whar.
"She had way of lookin' at We with
them big black eyes of hern that would
make you feel like jumpin' up and kissin
her.
"The mint Chambers seen her he fell
head over heels in love with her.
"Night after night he'd be seen at the
'Quickstep' listening to thet gal sing,
not thet she he'd sech good voice, but
on account OF her purity face.
"Dlck Sanders, the son of q rich |
rancher, was also in love with the gal. |
She didn't seem ter take to i'm, en- she |
tod MIN SO one night.
"He didn't say nothin', but turned on
his heel and went out. It was nearly q
month atore he turned up again.
cone bright morning a vanquero
found the dead body of Bob Chambers
lying by the roadside, near an old hacal |
A bullet hole in his head showed how he
was killed.
"In his hand he clinched tightly
gray coat button.
"When Nelly heard of Bob's death
she nearly went crazy.
"One day she disappeared, and was
never afterward Of.
cit was late on Saturday night
"The saloon was full of men drinlin'.
SmOkin' and Dlayin' kyar1a
''Sanders KEN in en- and started n
small game.
"I noticed one of the buttins of his
coat was missin'.
"Sez L to myself, Dick, me boy, We
air the one who gave Chambers his set
tier. III rest you
III slid up to him, and placing nv
shooter agin his head, said quietly:
Dick, recon We air wanted to oc-
cupy cell down at Laredo Jail
'Wat fur" he said up in an instant,
and layln' his hands on his weapons.
"'None of that! hands up over your
head
"'Ye air wanted for KILN Bob Cham
bers.' '''
no proof
'Mebbe not, but dye over see that
atoreT says L, tossing the gray button
on the table.
Islanders turned the color of chalk,
and then said:
"Well, l suppose I might as we'll
6 long an prove my innerccnce in
court
:, Yes; yer boss and mine, already sad
died, stand afore the door"
"Didn't he show any fght?" asked the
reporter.
"Naw," was the response; sit wouldn't
DO fur him to show fight in thet place,
Chambers was very popular, and the
null darned town would fit to kill his
murderer If riled. Sanders knowed this.
las Laredo was too far away couldn't
take him down thar thet night, so II
started for Jake Robertss place, about
ten miles from town.
"Ihe darkness was so dense that You
could have cut it with boarding house
knife.
" Bout the only thing you could hear
above the clatter of the horses hoofs war
the chirpings of the night insects and
birds in the trees.
owe stopped at ranch, got drink
en- then pushed on.
81 noticed Sanders keep eyein' the
thick underbrush that lay like q shadow
long the dark road.
81 thought he wanted to escape, and
so says: The fust move ye make, San
ders, plug yo with lead
"He didn't say nothin', but looked
strate afore him after that.
lust as we got to q portion of the
road that skirts lonely lake Sanders
initiated the screech of night owl.
81 knew what that meant, though.
"Quick as lightning 1 slid offer my
hoss to the ground.
81 was just in time.
ga dozen rifles belched forth their
contents.
"My horse dropped dead.
"Sanders put spurs to his horse, but
not soon enough.
cup went my gun.
"Crack!
"Sanders fell over his animal dead as
door nail.
Gas soon as L fred L changed my DO
sltlon. 1t wur well, fur another volley
whistled thro' the air.
III jumped into the lake, swan across
and made my way back to the town.
HI 0ynt n fNncua oF -, ~, -. -